Richards vs. Richards
by Carolyne Smythe
Summary: Miss Fantastic takes on her stepfather in a fantastically unique courtroom epic... :)
1. Author's Note

Richards vs. Richards  
By  
Carolyne Smythe  
  
Yes, I know I said in my note in the previous work, "Sweet Revenge" that I was going to be focusing more on serious compositions. Well, this idea literally came to me one night via one of my most favorite animated shows, Rugrats. The following story is very much a homage to one of my most favorite episodes along with my most favorite character whom I've partially based Marilyn's bratty side on, Angelica. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
  



	2. 

I just do not get it. Everyone, especially my dear stepfather knows my favorite holiday is April Fool's Day. I did my usual annual repetition of playing humiliating, yet harmless pranks on my best friends. Sue, Johnny, nor Ben did not seem to mind. No, I take that back, they did mind. Sue really did not appreciate the whipped cream I put in place of that godawful smelling hair mousse (Made from all natural ingredients from Nepal! It was made with something else that was natural, but not from Nepal.). Ben was not thrilled with how I influenced his dreams that morning about Father doing an evil experiment on him. How was I able to do that? I simply took my Talkboy, said a few choice phrases into it (Now Ben, this will not hurt! Step into this machine here. We are going to test your ability to handle extreme heat. I look forward to dinner tonight Father! So do I Mary! And trust me, it will be DIFFERENT!!), and created an evil version of not just my voice, but Father's voice too. And, at the stroke of midnight, I played the Talkboy at the door to Ben's room in a loud enough volume for Ben to hear in his sleep, but soft enough; it would not waken him. The results of this joke were VERY amusing! Ben was mumbling the following in a voice full of fear when I checked on him at three in the morning.  
  
"I'm human again! This is so wonderful! I... Wait, why is the machine burning me up? And why are you guys lookin' at me like that? What's with tha silvawear in ya mitts? Ahhhhh!!!! I can't believe you guys would try ta eat ya blue eyed Benji!"  
  
I had to quickly hustle to my room to get out my huge peals of laughter. My experimental prank had worked beautifully. There was no way Ben could have found out. Yeah right. It ended up the silver heart locket I always wear that Father gave to me on my thirteenth birthday before the rocket flight had fallen off, and was lying near the entrance to Ben's room. The trick I did on Ben was far more impressive by my standards than what I did to Johnny. I gave Johnny what I like to call the Tiny Tim method of torture. I brought into Johnny's room while he was sleeping this giant poster of Tiny Tim playing the ukulele, and placed it on the shelf over his bed. I positioned the poster in such a way; it would be the first thing Johnny would lay his eyes on when he woke up. Then, I brought in a little boombox that had a cassette tape of the loudest, not to mention most ear wracking version of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", and put it facing Johnny's ear on his nightstand. Next, I slithered up into a vent near Johnny's room, and crawled until I was over a vent closest to Johnny's bed. Stretching my arm out, I turned the volume on the boombox to two-thirds maximum, and pressed play. Not only did I wake Johnny (Who about had a heart attack when he woke up to Tiny Tim being very near his face.), but the rest of my friends too. These pranks did not set too well with Father, whom after lunch that day, took me into one of his labs to give a lecture on how unrefined pranks are.  
  
"Marilyn my child, I know it is April Fool's Day, and how much you really enjoy celebrating this event. But, your tricks are not only unnecessary, but also just overall not good conduct. Now, I expect you to act more mature than this."  
  
"Father, let me ask you one question. Haven't you ever had the urge to just get a laugh or two from a harmless prank?" I asked.  
  
He responded.   
  
"My child, there are better ways of obtaining humor. Besides, if I ever attempted to execute a prank, my father would have whipped me on my hindquarters with a belt."  
  
"Geez. You're not going to do that to me Father, are you?" I replied somewhat flinchingly.  
  
"No, I do not believe in that kind of punishment Marilyn. But, none-the-less, you are going to be punished. And I happen to know where your punishment will begin."  
  
He said as he got up, and headed to one of the numerous storage rooms in the lab. A minute later, Father came out with a crate full of dirty test tubes, and a test tube cleaning brush. He placed the crate on the counter closest to me, and said authoritatively.  
  
"Get to work on cleaning these test tubes. If I think up of anything else to add to your punishment, I shall alert you."  
  
Then, he walked over to a corner of the lab where a massive computer stood, and began to type a few things on it. That day, I not only cleaned over two hundred test tubes, I mopped up the floors of five labs, cleaned and dusted most of the equipment in those rooms; and wiped down the windows in the labs that had them. Father even said he had more work for me that very next day.  
  
"What kind of nerve did I hit in him anyway?!"  
  
was my exact thought when I was finally able to depart from the labs that night.  
  



	3. 

I watched her walk away from the Biological Lab with a frown on her face. Marilyn then sighed when she was about thirty feet down the hall. I did take a few classes on psychology during my days in college, but neither of those classes focused on Child Psychology. I knew I had given her what could be considered too much work for a child her age. But, I had lectured her about enacting pranks numerous times. And the tricks she pulled that time really were a little far-fetched. Especially those she played on Ben and Sue. I probably could understand her getting back at Johnny for erecting that gaudy poster of Pee Wee Herman (I believe that is his name.) over her bed a few days ago. There are times I felt like Marilyn was much maturer than Johnny and Ben, despite their age differences. I began to ponder more over what kinds of tasks I should make Marilyn take on that next day as I sat down at my computer. Suddenly, Susan entered.  
  
"Hi darling. I take it you punished Mary pretty well."  
  
"Ah, I suppose our April Fool recently visited you." I responded with a smile, then I stretched up and kissed Sue on the lips. She kissed me back, then continued.  
  
"Mmmm, not tonight sweetie. I have a headache. Anyway, just how harsh were your punishments? The way Mary is acting right now, you could swear that she just got out of a torture chamber."  
  
"All I did was make her clean up a few of the labs. How is she behaving?" I replied.  
"Oh, she is just being awfully quiet, actually a morose kind of quiet. You don't think she's planning something, do you?"  
  
I chuckled, then said.  
  
"I would like to think after what I put her through, she would not dare play a prank on me."  
  
"You know Reed, has it ever occurred to you that the reason she plays pranks on the rest of the team is the fact you're just a little too lenient with her sometimes?"  
  
"Well, I never really have thought much about it."  
  
"What I mean Reed is don't you ever feel like you're spoiling her here and there?" She then asked. I pondered for a minute, then replied.  
  
"Yes, I suppose I've let her have what she wants lots of times. But, I highly doubt that is the cause behind her tricks. If anything, it is mostly her age, and adolescence playing its part."  
  
"Well, it's whatever you say Reed. After all, you're her guardian. I still think spoilage plays a huge role."  
  
She said as she left the lab. I turned back around in my revolving chair, and got back to an experiment I was conducting on the computer.  
  



	4. 

I entered my room, and put down my snack of lemon cake and a can of ginger ale I got on the nightstand by my bed. As I sat down on my bed, I stretched my arm, and grabbed the remote control off the top of my miniature television set. I began to flip through the channels as I ate and drank. A couple of minutes later, I came across a rather special advertisement.  
  
"Are you being harassed in any way? Feel like you've been treated miserably? Got family problems that require more than a counselor's attention? Call no one else but Johnston and Williams Attorneys at Law!"  
  
The man who was speaking was dressed very well. His office was heavily adorned with rather fine objects like works of art, degrees from various law schools and colleges; and not to mention his immense desk. After what I had been through that day, that man had me interested.  
  
"Yes! The second and third things! What's the number to dial?" I quietly blurted out.  
"Call 1-800-J-A-N-D-W right now for quality law services!"  
  
I finished my lemon cake and ginger ale, and extended an arm to pick up the phone on a table that was a few feet away from my bed. Father had this coming to him. Many would say I was being a little harsh. But I didn't care, what Father made me do just because of my usual April Fool's Day celebrations was just downright dumb, he knew how much I love that holiday. I dialed the number mentioned on the television. The phone on the other end rang a couple of times, then picked up. A computerized voice then came on.  
  
"You have reached the law offices of Johnston and Williams. Press 1 if you want to file divorce. Press 2 if you want to sue someone."  
  
I immediately pressed 2.  
  
"You have chosen to sue someone. Press 1 if the amount will be for fewer than one million dollars. Press 2 if it will be between one and two million dollars. Press 3 if it will be more than two million, but fewer than five million..."  
  
"Geez, these men really like to deal with those who have big bucks."  
  
I thought as I pressed 1. I thought I would go easy on my stepfather with the amount of money I would hopefully win from him. All I needed was enough to pay for the goodies I so desired that he nor the rest of my friends did not get for me that past Christmas.  
  
"You have chosen to sue for an amount fewer than one million dollars. Are you a citizen of the United States? Press 1 for yes, 2 for no."  
  
"The last time I checked, I was."  
  
I mumbled in a tone that said, "Can we say DUH!" as I pressed 1.  
  
"You are a citizen of the United States. Is English your language? Once again, press 1 for yes, 2 for no."  
  
I felt tempted to say to that idiot of a computer that was serving as an operator the following.  
  
"Hello, through the mere click of a button, I just said I was an honest to goodness citizen of the good old U.S. of A.. And, you're now asking if I speak and understand English, the very language you have been asking what have been mostly inane questions from question number three in. Aren't you lucky that you are not in the vicinity of the Baxter Building, or all points within the square mile surrounding it."  
  
I pressed 1, and waited to see what rather pathetic question it was going to ask next.  
  
"You speak English. Who do you want to sue? Press 1 if it is a family member that is related by blood. Press 2 if it is a legal guardian, or foster parent. Press 3 if.."  
  
"Shut up." I said under my breath as I pressed 2.  
  
"You want to sue your legal guardian or foster parent. If you consider this particular person a legal guardian, press 1, if you consider them your foster parent, press 2."  
  
Feeling almost ready to place the phone on the hook, and come up with some other devious form of revenge, I pressed 2.  
  
"You are suing your legal guardian. Are you a celebrity? Press 1 if.."  
  
"Hey hey, maybe this is worth those dumb questions!"  
  
I thought as I instantly pressed 1.  
  
"You are a celebrity. What kind of celebrity are you? If you are a movie or television star, press 1. If you are a musician of any sort, press 2. If you are a superhero, press 3."  
  
"About time you reached my calling." I silently let out as I pressed 3.  
  
"You are a superhero. Do you belong to a team? Press 1 if you do, 2 if you don't."  
  
"Holy cow, they leave no stone unturned!" I thought as I pressed 1.  
  
"You belong to a team. Which team do you belong to? Press 1 if you belong to the Fantastic Five. Press 2 if.."  
  
I quickly pressed 1.  
  
"Well, you certainly have earned brownie points from me for placing my team as numero uno!" I said under my breath.  
  
"You belong to the Fantastic Five. What is your age? If you are under 18, press 1. If you are.."  
  
I pressed 1, praying it would put an end to what was becoming a nerve-wracking process.  
"You are under 18. Press the numbers in your age now."  
  
I pressed a 1 and 3. One second later, a reply sounded.  
  
"Thank you Marilyn Richards for showing interest in Johnston and Williams Law Offices. One of our attorneys will come out to the Baxter Building approximately at 10:00 later this morning to talk to you about the case. Be sure to be prompt and ready. Once again, thank you."  
  
And with that said, I set my alarm clock for 8:00, hopped into bed, and went to sleep knowing the greatest of my acts had just started to come into place.  
  



	5. 

After a simply delightful breakfast of eggs and bacon fixed by my dearest Susan, I settled down in the living room to do my daily routine of reading the newspaper for an hour before going back to work in my lab. At approximately 9:55, I saw my adopted daughter come out of the elevator in one of her casual, yet elegant dresses.  
  
"Mary, why are you wearing that? You know very well we're not going out in public right now."  
  
"Good morning, Father dearest. WE'RE not going out, but I am."  
  
She responded in a rather curt voice.  
  
"Now Mary, you know better than to speak to me like that!" I exclaimed just a little too late as she walked back on to the elevator, and pushed the button to go down.   
  
She was gone for a little while, then a ring sounded from the elevator as she and another man exited into the living room.  
  
"Now sir, if you follow me this way, we can talk this case out in my room."  
  
"Wait a minute! What exactly is going on here?" I immediately questioned the black suited man that was holding Mary's hand.  
  
"Dr. Richards, I would suggest that you not say anything else while I'm around. Anything that leaves your lips becomes evidence for this young lady's case."  
  
"CASE?! MARILYN ANGEL RICHARDS! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" I bawled out. Mary replied in a calm, yet rather wry voice.  
  
"Father, I would take this kind man's advice rather wholeheartedly. I am suing you."  
In fear, I responded.  
  
"What? You could not. Mary, that is impossible for you to do at your age. Sir, is she for real?"  
  
"She most certainly is Dr. Richards. And like I said, anything you say from here on out shall become evidence for Marilyn's case."  
  
"Yeah Father dearest, better watch your mouth." Mary snidely said.  
  
And as I stood there watching them head back onto the elevator after Mary got two packages of shortbread and Fig Newton cookies; and some bottles of ginger ale, I was in a state of shock. A state of shock that would keep its hold on me throughout that day, and possibly the rest of that week.  



	6. 

I took Mr. Johnston into my room, and lead him to a place I had set up with a card table and two chairs that I had grabbed from a nearby hall closet earlier.  
  
"I sincerely apologize for how my stepfather reacted to your entering our living room." I said in my most kind voice to Mr. Johnston.  
  
"Oh it is fine Ms. Richards. I've dealt with much worst emotions from my other clients accusees." He neutrally replied.  
  
I opened the packages of shortbread cookies and Fig Newtons, and set them out on the table.  
  
"Before we begin, care for a cookie or something to drink?" I asked my new lawyer.  
  
"Why thank you Ms. Richards, I believe I will try one of these." He answered as he picked up a Newton.   
  
I opened a bottle of ginger ale, poured it into a cup, and took a sip. Firmly, Mr. Johnston asked me.  
  
"Now, why are you suing your legal guardian, Dr. Richards?"  
  
"Well lets see, to tell you the truth sir, I want to go back to right when I was adopted. Up until that point, I was your typical slum-native and orphan who was on the run most of the time."  
  
I proceeded to tell Mr. Johnston all about not just my horrible life before my adoption, but pretty much how I "slaved" away in Father's lab as his young assistant.  
  
"You see, I was only eight years old when suddenly one day in the summer, my stepfather took me into his lab, and instantly made me go to work!"  
  
"Oh my! Why didn't you alert the authorities any sooner about this! I cannot believe you have actually gone through all of this!" Mr. Johnston replied appallingly.  
  
The truth was I exaggerated just a little in all I said to Mr. Johnston. But, I had to make my answers to his questions real juicy sounding so I could get away with taking Father to court to give him his "just desserts".  
  
"So, we are not just suing Dr. Richards for child neglect, but also child labor?"  
  
"Yes, that is pretty much the whole picture." I responded.  
  
As we were wrapping up, I felt compelled to ask Mr. Johnston one more question.  
  
"How big a trial is this going to be in terms of publicity?"  
  
"Oh, knowing how you and your team are some of the most popular and well respected people in the world, especially in this nation. I expect not only will hundreds, maybe thousands of people make up the jury. But, I'm predicting some stations around the country are going to televise the trial."  
  
"Wow! This keeps getting better and better by the moment!" I happily thought, but kept a "poker face".  
  
I will be seeing you in two days Ms. Richards. Until then, take care of yourself." He said as I began to lead him back to the lobby at the bottom of the Baxter Building.  
  
"Where is your stepfather?" He asked when we reached the floor the living room was on, and stopped at his request.   
  
"Knowing how he reacted to my actions of taking him to court, still in here."  
  
We entered to find as I correctly predicted Father in the chair he always sat in, looking like he was preparing to bite his nails. Mr. Johnston walked up to Father, and handed him a card telling him the time and date of the trial.  
  
"Be sure to be prompt with your lawyer. Same goes for all witnesses, which happens to be your whole team Dr. Richards. If you are not at the trial on time, Ms. Richards here automatically wins the case."  
  
The only response my stepfather could manage to give was a slight nod.  



	7. 

Only a few hours after Marilyn's lawyer left the Baxter Building, I got the three of my colleagues who were on my side to gather to meet our lawyer for the case, Matt Murdock. While we waited in the meeting room, a rather disturbed conversation took place between us.  
  
"Mary IS SUING YOU? She has played some extensive tricks, but this time she has gone too far!" Susan proclaimed.  
  
"What are you going to do Reed? From what you told us, she seems to have a strong handle on the situation." Johnny said.  
  
"I don't know lad, but Michael Johnston is an excellent lawyer. We're lucky that Matt Murdock is going to be on our side." I replied to Johnny's question.  
  
Right after I said that, an alarm sounded, and I extended a hand out to press the button to find out who was in the Baxter Building's lobby. A man in a brown sportscoat, pants, and wearing a pair of sunglasses stared back at me with a smile.  
  
"It's me, Matt Murdock. I'm here to talk about the case between you and your stepdaughter Dr. Richards."  
  
"Oh ok, wait a few seconds." I responded, as I pressed the button to activate the doors to the elevator that would carry Matt to the very office the rest of my team and I were sitting in.  
  
When he arrived, he shook my hand along with Ben, Susan, and Johnny's hands. And then, we got down to business.  
  
"Now Dr. Richards, what exactly are the charges your stepdaughter is pressing against you?"  
  
"Well, I know Mary is suing me for child neglect. I believe if I interpreted the conversation between her and Mr. Johnston over the intercom correctly, she is also suing me for child labor."  
  
"I see..." Matt answered, then continued.  
  
"What exactly was the cause of her to do this to you Dr. Richards?"  
  
"Marilyn absolutely enjoys April Fools' Day. And yesterday, she just went too far with her tricks. I realize she does them for just entertainment, but the others get awfully annoyed by them. And, it's already enough for them to get along with each other all the time. If only we could totally stop fighting among ourselves..." I said in a stern voice.  
  
Matt turned to my three partners, and asked.  
  
"Which of you, like Dr. Richards here, listened in on the conversation between his stepdaughter and Mr. Johnston.?"  
  
Two hands, one from Ben, and the other from Susan went up. Johnny did not respond due to his being out at the car workshop down the street that morning.  
  
Matt faced me again, and said.  
  
"Now Dr. Richards, you very much did what any reasonable parent would do, and was just punishing your child for some out of hand pranks, correct?"  
  
"Why yes, I was just trying to be a good parent. But obviously, Mary does not take it as that."  
  
"Yes, and maybe she would have taken it as that if you did not spoil her like you probably have knowing how much you love her." Matt said.  
  
Right after Matt got that out, I turned to see Susan smiling as if saying.  
  
"I told you so."  
  
Then, we all gathered around to listen to Matt's plan to counteract Mr. Johnston's interrogation at the trial a couple of days later.  



	8. 

It was the big day. In a few hours, the trial would take place. And I, Marilyn Richards along with my faithful lawyer, Mr. Johnston would very much turn Father and his witnesses into piles of mush with the right words. So what if they had Matt Murdock. Just because he had won the majority of his cases, doesn't mean he did not lose every now and then. My courtroom victory was not just going to depend upon my actions and words, but also on a little propaganda. I had to convince the world that Father had put me through quiet a lot. I had to get them to believe that he had not been all that sweet to me. It was going to be very hard for me to do this part of the "prank" because I really did love my stepfather. But, he SHOULD KNOW how MUCH I LOVE APRIL FOOLS DAY. Just thinking about that helped kept me motivated in going through with this. Mr. Johnston was waiting outside that morning at the Baxter Building. I came out looking my extreme finest with my dress and hat on. And, as soon as I came out, I headed into Mr. Johnston's limo, which was going to the New York State Courthouse. When we arrived at the courthouse, I saw many of my fans gathered outside, along with lots of television news reporters. I instantly got an idea. Before Mr. Johnston could say anything, I hopped out of the limo, and headed for the media mob. A reporter immediately spotted me, ran over, and asked me the following.  
  
"Ms. Richards, how do you feel about suing your stepfather?"  
  
"Why, I feel wonderful! After what I have been through with him, he'll get what's coming to him."  
  
"Ms. Richards, is it true that he did horrible, cruel experiments on you?"  
  
"No, that's not true. But, he has done experiments on numerous animals. I've been a witness to this at least a dozen times."  
  
It was just a bunch of lab rats I've seen Father do experiments on. But, when you mention just animals, people will go batty. Right when I said that, a bunch of gasps erupted from the crowd. I heard people say the following.  
  
"Reed Richards, ANIMAL TORTURER?! Why, I NEVER THOUGHT..."  
  
"Well, I'm most certainly am NOT USING ANY PRODUCTS made by THAT MAN!"  
  
"THAT MAN SHOULD ALREADY BE BEHIND BARS!"  
  
That last comment started a ridiculous riot between my fans and the fans of my stepfather.   
I turned my head to where Father, Ben, Sue, and Johnny were standing with their lawyer. They happened to conversing with another reporter.  
  
"Dr. Richards, do you think your daughter is taking this seriously?"  
  
"Well, it is very hard to say with her. But, if it has gotten to this point, I must say yes."  
  
When Father let that out, the group of fanatics who were on my side suddenly hustled to where he stood, in hopes they could catch him, and get him to authorities. But, Father and all hoofed it into the courthouse in time. I smiled, for then the die was cast. All that was left to do was maneuver the jury as if I was the Puppet-Master, and they were my victims. And, not only appeal to the jury through my "cuteness", but to make what Father, his witnesses, and Murdock had to say as valuable as the garbage in the Manhattan dump.  



	9. 

After we escaped the incredible mob, my cohorts and I took out places in the courtroom. As soon as we did this, I witnessed my stepdaughter walking in without her lawyer. I watched her approach the bailiff, and question him about something. The bailiff walked out of the room for a moment. Then he came back in, and gave Mary an "OK" signal. Mary jauntingly walked towards her place in the courtroom with smile on her face. Something told me this was not going to be an ordinary trial, not that this already was anyway. Matt leaned over to me and whispered.  
  
"Dr. Richards, I will not swear to it, but I think your stepdaughter is representing herself. We may have the upper hand here!"  
  
"Uh Matt, I would not go jumping to conclusions here. We are not dealing with an ordinary thirteen year old."  
  
"Look Dr. Richards, even though your daughter is one of, if not, THE smartest child in New York, I'm sure she'll be easy to handle like any child in a courtroom."  
  
"Alright Matt, but you should heed my warning. I've been with her for at least seven years, she's no ordinary girl."  
  
Right when I said that, the bailiff commanded for the courtroom to be silent.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, all rise for the honorable Judge Stanton."  
  
Everyone rose, and waited for the judge to take his seat. When he did this, the bailiff announced.  
  
"You may sit down now."  
  
The bailiff handed the judge a piece paper, and the judge nodded at him. Then, the judge said in a powerful, firm voice.  
  
"Our first case today will be Richards vs. Richards. May the attorneys representing the plaintiff and defendant arise."  
  
Matt immediately stood up, and Mary, bless her heart, slowly got out of her seat."  
A look of puzzlement suddenly crossed the judge's face.  
  
"Ms. Richards? You are representing yourself?"  
  
"Why yes I am your honor. It seems my lawyer got up, and went off because of a disagreement we had over the pay."  
  
She replied, in an extremely kind, almost cherubic tone.  
  
"Hmmm..." The judge pondered.  
  
"I asked the bailiff if it was ok your honor. He said there should not be any problem with me representing myself."  
  
"I suppose there would not be any problem. Alright, Mr. Murdock, please proceed with your opening statement."  
  
Matt let out a "Ahem.", then went on to descant.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, today you will find out that what has taken place was merely an act on my client's part to be a good father. The work his child has assisted him in has been work that only she is smart enough to understand and do. It may be to another child hard labor, but to her it as easy as saying her alphabet. My point is that she has not at all been put through child labor. Also, Dr. Richards is not the kind of person to be negligent towards his friends and family. He is a very honest, caring, organized man. He shows plenty of care not just in how he is towards his closest friends and family, but also in his experiments, for he does not do any harm towards animals. I want all of you to take your time, and consider what this man has done for our country, the world, and quiet possibly the universe."  
  
I almost felt compelled to clap for what Matt had to say about me, but the silence that followed was just as satisfying as an applause.  
  
"Ms. Richards, you may proceed with your opening statement." The judge said.  
  
Marilyn got up, and looked right into the jury with the brightest, yet most sincere eyes I had ever seen her look out with. She then pronounced.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, today we will look into what exactly makes up a negligent parent. He may be the most organized, intelligent, and caring person in the world. But there is something deep down in his mind, that for some reason, be it insanity, or just pure evil makes him turn on that one special person in his life, his child. He may love her with all his heart, or he may not. One thing is for certain, he certainly has a place in his heart for mankind, but uncertainly has a heart for the youngest one he has to tend. This folks, is the man I call my stepfather. When placing your vote, please keep in mind that this man needs help. He is not criminal in anyway, but in more ways than one has the liability to plead insanity. There is after all a very thin line between genius and insanity."  
  
With that said, Mary then turned, looked at me in the eyes, and a smirk came to her face. It   
was almost as if she was saying to my face.  
  
"Say your prayers, father dearest."  
  
The judge imparted who should choose their witnesses.  
  
"Ms. Richards you may go first in choosing and interrogating your witnesses."  
  
"Thank you your honor. I choose Jonathan Storm to come up here to the stand first."  
  
Johnny looked at me with look that said.  
  
"Do I really have to go up there?"  
  
I whispered to him.  
  
"It will be just like the many times you have dealt with her. And, it will be over before you know it."  
  
"Uh, ok..." He sighed.  
  
Johnny walked cautiously to the stand, and sat down in it.  
  
Mary paced almost struttingly back and forth in front of Johnny. Suddenly, she turned sharply, and said cattily.  
  
"WHERE were you the night of APRIL 1ST?!"  
  
Johnny looked at Mary almost fearfully for a few moments, but then spoke up.  
  
"You know where I was!"  
  
"No I, along with THEY do NOT! Now, tell us WHERE YOU WERE!"  
  
Johnny said in almost an enraged a tone as Mary's.  
  
"I was out on a date, OK?"  
  
Matt spontaneously stood up, and interjected.  
  
"Objection your honor! That young lady is badgering the witness."  
  
The judge looked right at Matt, and said with a smile.  
  
"Objection overruled. I actually like the young one's way of handling things. I don't think it hurts at all to have a little aggression in handling the witness. Especially one who's an obnoxious little upstart like this one here! You may proceed Ms. Richards."  
  
In as sweet a voice as she could muster, Mary said to the judge.  
  
"Thank you your honor. As I was getting ready to say, before I was rudely interrupted." She turned to face Matt as she said the previous sentence.  
  
"Johnny, there is no need for you anymore since you are not a valid witness. You may leave the stand. Next up at the stand is Susan Storm Richards!"  
  
Unlike Johnny, Susan strided up to the stand fearlessly. When she took her place, she looked at Mary as if saying.  
  
"Ask anything of me."  
  
Mary stared at her for a solid three minutes before talking.  
  
"Susan, where were you the night of April 1st?"  
  
"I was in the kitchen."  
  
"In the kitchen doing what?"  
  
"Well, fixing my Tofu Delights."  
  
Mary was silent for a minute. Then, she exclaimed.  
  
"So, you were pretty much preparing to feed me trash!"  
  
"Well, I would not put it like that!" Sue responded.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, as all of you have just heard, Susan Storm Richards has just admitted that she was attempting to poison me."  
  
She faced the judge, and asked.  
  
"Your honor, can we go ahead and charge Mrs. Richards here with attempted murder?"  
"We most certainly can Ms. Richards. Before we proceed any further with the actual case, lets do a vote on Susan Storm Richards, is she guilty or innocent?"  
  
Immediately after the judge had his say, a chorus of "Guilty!"s rang out from where the jury sat.  
  
"Very well, the verdict for Susan Storm Richards is GUILTY!! Take her away officers!"  
  
Suddenly, two police officers came and took my dear Susan away! The last words I heard her say was.  
  
"It was not POISON, it was TOFU!"  
  
I looked at Mary to see she had a malicious smile on her face. Ben said to me.  
  
"Stretch, she's makin' mince meat out of us!"  
  
Matt, who had been quiet speechless during my poor Susan's turn at the stand, said to me in a voice of frustration.  
  
"Dr. Richards, you were right, your daughter is no ordinary girl. I wish you the very best of luck in this case, FOR I QUIT!"  
  
And he, along with Ben stormed out of the building. This left Mary and I to fight it out. It was not going to be yielding.  
  
"Mary, YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR!" I shouted out.  
  
The judge suddenly turned and said to me.  
  
"Dr. Richards, I suggest you calm down. Or else, I will have to call in a few people from Ravencroft."  
  
"BUT YOU WON'T LISTEN! I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE GOOD FATHER, AND TEACH HER HOW RIDICULOUS PRANKS ARE!"  
  
"See ladies and gentlemen, a very fine example of a thin line between genius and insanity." Mary said in such a hideous voice.  
  
Before I knew it, people from Ravencroft had arrived, and were putting my arms and legs in special chains and shackles that kept my powers from working. From there, it became an indescribable, very eerie experience. Not only was the one I had called my child laughing in such a way, it reminded me of Dr. Doom, but the judge and jury had BECOME HER. At that point, what I saw and heard became one mind-boggling blur.  



	10. 

I awoke in my lab, to discover I had fallen asleep in my chair in front of my computer. I saw on the nearby wall clock that it was 3:45 in the morning. Never did I think my dear Mary would be the subject of a nightmare. I thought very hard about that dream. Perhaps I had been a little rough with my punishment on Mary. April Fool's Day only came once a year. And suddenly, I realized I had lied to my child. She had asked me earlier that previous day if I had ever played a prank. I remembered the cruel, but at the time fun trick I played on my father. I had fooled him into thinking that we had gold in our backyard at the mansion. And my evidence of this was a rock that I very carefully had painted gold. My father would never admit to his being rused for a few minutes by that. Thinking about that, I knew I owed my little one an apology. With this in mind, I quickly hurried to Mary's room.  
  
I entered the young girl's room to find her slumbering away, moonlight shining over her from the window beside her bed. The covers were not over her, for she had fallen asleep on top of the bed in her uniform. An empty can of ginger ale and a plate that held a half-eaten piece of lemon cake stood atop her nightstand. I walked quietly over to the nightstand, and threw away the piece of lemon cake and ginger ale can. As I was completing this task, I heard a soft yawn, and turned to see Mary looking at me, sleepily.  
  
"Father, is that you?"  
  
"Yes it is me, my child."  
  
"You, you're not expecting to get up and work for you right now, are you?"  
  
She asked, almost wincingly.  
  
"No, no, no Mary. I am here to tell you something extremely important. I am very sorry for putting you through all that labor this afternoon. Let me tell you a little story..."  
  
I progressed into telling her the story of the rather ridiculous prank I played on my father. When I was done, she responded.  
  
"Tee hee hee. Oh Father, see, even you got a little amusement out of a prank. Do I still have to work for you later today?"  
  
"Only if you want to my child. I won't ever force you to do work like you did yesterday again. Now Mary, I will see you later in the morning. Until then, sweet dreams!"  
  
After I said that, I retracted my neck downward, and gave her a kiss on her forehead. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, and said with a weak smile.  
  
"Same to you Father. Good night."  
  
"Good night Mary."  
  
I patted her head, then left her to venture back into Dreamland.  



	11. 

As soon as he was out the door, I quietly got up from the bed, and gingerly closed the door. Then, I hopped back in bed, and stretched my arm into the area below my bed. I grabbed the Talkboy hidden underneath. I rewound the tape in it so I could hear the golden words that had transformed Father from an old fart of a prank hater into a closet prankster.  
  
"Father, I am suing you!"  
  
"There is a thin line between genius and insanity."  
  
"Hah ha ha ha!!"  
  
I smiled as I listened to these lines. When my Talkboy was done, I kissed it, and whispered.  
  
"I don't know what I would have done without you."  
  
Then, I placed it under the bed, and closed my eyes to go to sleep, and be well rested for a very much less strenuous day assisting my stepfather in his labs.  



End file.
